Milwaukee got the win they needed, locking in a date with the Pacers
The Milwaukee Bucks took down the Detroit Pistons in a 125-119 win, securing fifth place in the process and locking in a series with the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers. Giannis was just amazing in this one, dropping a 32-15-11 triple-double. Kevin Porter Jr. was probably their next best with 16 points and seven assists, but the other seven guys who played each dropped at least seven points. For the Pistons, it was Cade Cunningham who led the way, dropping 36 points as well as 12 dimes. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.
What Did We Learn?
The most notable learning from this game was probably that Doc seems to be leaning right into that Giannis + bench lineup (with KPJ, AJG, GTJ, and BP) as a real option to close games. He closed with it against the Wolves and did the same last night. That lineup has now played 42 minutes (small sample size, I know) but has a 144.6 (!) offensive rating and a 93.4 (!) defensive rating.
KPJ said postgame that as soon as he heard that Dame would be out for an extended period of time, he texted Giannis that they both had to put in extra time working on their chemistry. Well, they seem to be connecting more and more as time goes on. That, paired with three shooters spreading the floor, makes obvious sense. The other thing is that AJ and Gary are more dynamic shooters and playmakers than Prince. You can use them in inverted pick-and-rolls and the like, whereas Prince is more solely a spot-up guy.
Three Observations
Giannis willed Milwaukee to victory.
Antetokounmpo was absolutely ridiculous in this one. When I saw that he played just under 38 minutes I was surprised because it felt like whenever he went out, things went downhill fast, and that he would have played a tad more. And that feeling was correct to an extent, Giannis was a +22 in his minutes, with AJ Green the next closest at +11. Anyway, I thought GA was just so damn composed all night long. He really trusted his teammates, which is when I believe he’s most dangerous. We shouldn’t just ignore the fact that, with Dame not playing, this is hard for Giannis. It’s not easy to have the entire team looking at you to lead them; you don’t get the opportunity to sit back, you must make things happen. Playing close to 40 minutes is not easy either, but we salute you for it, big fella.
Kevin Porter Jr. will be crucial in the playoffs.
Maybe it speaks more to the lack of primary creators on the team than his individual brilliance, but I will predict that the Bucks winning playoff games will coincide with Porter playing well, and vice versa. His ability to diagnose the way the defence is playing him and react off that to get downhill—which is something Doc has apparently been on him hard about—is really interesting to watch. Gary Trent Jr. specialises in other areas, so it’s not a putdown, but I will use him as an example of a guy who can get pushed off his line when handling the ball, which can cause him to be unable to create open shots consistently off the pick-and-roll. But with KPJ, he has this power and agility to him that is truly unique on this team. He also doesn’t get rattled in traffic, like you see here:
The fourth-quarter defence was phenomenal.
I put it as my “stat that stood out” in the rapid recap, but for a team that has had its share of defensive issues in the past month, holding the Pistons to 22 points on 8/23 shooting in the final frame was massive. The physicality they showed to Cade and the help defence were both so good. Just a great game to show the team in film. That was a playoff-like quarter on defence.
Bonus Bucks Bits
- We have a story on Malik Beasley’s hypocrisy getting upset at Giannis doing his shimmy back at him. But come on, Malik, you do that every damn game!
- It seemed like the Pacers more or less tried to lose last night to lock in a date with the Bucks. Bold strategy, Cotton.
- I’ve really liked Ryan Rollins’ play these past two games. He doesn’t have the athleticism to challenge guys at the rim like KPJ does, but Rollins does have a nice cadence and centre of gravity that allows him to get places:
Up Next
The Bucks next play the Detroit Pistons (again) at home on Sunday arvo at 12:00 p.m. Central. The game is now meaningless, so expect 40 minutes from your favourite deep bench players. Catch the game on ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin, or stream it on our Playback and YouTube channels.
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